Leigh Academy Snowfields
Popesfield Way, Maidstone, ME14 5GA
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Dee Pickerill
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Faversham and Mid Kent
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 372
- Pupils on roll
- 355
- URN
- 147870
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01622250050
About this school
Leigh Academy Snowfields is a special academy in Maidstone. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 355 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Snowfields, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 21 | 19 | 45 |
| Attainment 8 score | 14.4 | 17.1 | 16.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.47 -3.07 to -1.86 | -1.70 -2.47 to -0.93 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 10% | 26.3% | 8.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Leigh Academy Snowfields has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 14.4 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 17.1 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 16.5 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 17.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 15.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 17.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 175 |
| 2023/24 | 232 |
| 2024/25 | 303 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 38.95%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 17.36%
- Persistent absence
- 39.87%
Location
Nearby schools
-
MEPA ACADEMY1.7 miles
Independent schools
-
Serenity School Maidstone1.9 miles
Special schools · Maidstone
-
King's Reach Education2.2 miles
Special schools · Maidstone
-
Maidstone and Malling Alternative Provision2.4 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Maidstone
-
Five Acre Wood School2.5 miles
Special schools · Maidstone
Other schools in Maidstone
- Bower Grove School Special schools
- Earley Springs Special schools
- Five Acre Wood School Special schools
- King's Reach Education Special schools
- Maidstone and Malling Alternative Provision Local authority maintained schools
- Serenity School Maidstone Special schools
- Allington Primary School Primary
- Archbishop Courtenay Primary School Primary
- Barming Primary School Primary
- Boughton Monchelsea Primary School Primary
- Brunswick House Primary School Primary
- Coxheath Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Leigh Academy Snowfields teach?
- Leigh Academy Snowfields teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a special school in Maidstone.
- Who is the headteacher of Leigh Academy Snowfields?
- The headteacher of Leigh Academy Snowfields is Mrs Dee Pickerill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Leigh Academy Snowfields been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Snowfields, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Leigh Academy Snowfields?
- Leigh Academy Snowfields has 355 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Leigh Academy Snowfields full?
- Leigh Academy Snowfields has capacity for 372 pupils and 355 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Leigh Academy Snowfields a faith school?
- No. Leigh Academy Snowfields has no designated religious character.
- Is Leigh Academy Snowfields a selective school?
- No. Leigh Academy Snowfields is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Leigh Academy Snowfields part of an academy trust?
- Leigh Academy Snowfields is part of LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Leigh Academy Snowfields have?
- The schools register lists Leigh Academy Snowfields's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Leigh Academy Snowfields's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 14.4 in 2022/23 and 16.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Leigh Academy Snowfields's absence rate?
- Leigh Academy Snowfields's overall absence rate is 17.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Leigh Academy Snowfields's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Leigh Academy Snowfields's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.